


Disappear and Seek

by nerdofnerds



Category: Venom (Comics)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, I HOPE THIS IS LIKE. GOOD, I POST SHIT SO RARELY ANYMORE, proud symbiote parents, sleeper uses they/them pronouns, theyre a baby they dont know what a gender is yet, venom and eddie are married its just not in depth bc this is about the baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdofnerds/pseuds/nerdofnerds
Summary: This is a Secret Santa 2018 gift for rec-rewind! Their prompt was:"Comics: Eddie and the Symbiote (and whichever other character the author/artist wants to add, if any) play hide and seek with baby Sleeper to help it practice its mimicry skills."So! Here's some cute goop playtime.





	Disappear and Seek

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rec-rewind](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=rec-rewind).



> I'm ignoring Sleeper leaving at the end of First Host, and stuff with his name not being Technically Canon, but otherwise I thiiiink everthing is canon compliant? If not, then, hell. Whatever. It's Crimmus Day.

_ “Mrrp!” _

 

“Got me, kiddo. Good job.”

 

Eddie rubbed the small head poking out of the biomass perched on the chair, voice warm with pride. He stood, leaving his hiding spot between the wall and the back of the chair, reaching for the young symbiote and accepting them into his arms for congratulatory cuddles.

 

They flowed easily over his forearms, settling against his heart. A light trill left them, and he couldn’t resist smiling. 

 

“Alright, now  _ you _ hide and we’ll find you.”

 

A “ _ mrbl!”  _ of understanding and they slid back out of his arms. Eddie covered his eyes, counting aloud to 20. When he opened them, the apartment looked empty. 

 

But he knew how deceiving looks could be. 

 

“Ready or not, here I come!” He called, remembering the pattern of the words from a far-away youth. He scratched his scruff idly as he thought.  _ If I were Sleeper, where would I hide..? _

 

He walked to the bed, reaching inside the tank sent there and swiping his hand back and forth. In one corner, his hand patted against something he couldn’t see. 

 

“Gotcha!”

 

Sleeper dropped their camouflage, gurgling in childish outrage at being found so quickly. They climbed Eddie’s arm, quietly huffing when their father pet their head. 

 

“You’re gettin pretty good at the camo, kiddo! I couldn’t even see you.” Sleeper preened, outrage quickly forgotten, and Eddie grinned. “How about we take it to the next level?”

 

_ “Krmmlu?” _

 

The Venom symbiote peeked out of Eddie’s shoulder, buzzing with excitement. Sleeper reacted immediately, stretching up to nuzzle their parent. Eddie watched fondly as the symbiotes expressed their affection for each other, feeling everything secondhand through their bond. 

 

After a moment, Venom pulled back against Eddie and Sleeper settled on his arm again. “We want you to try to find us while we’re camouflaged! It might be tough, but we think you can do it.”

 

Sleeper stretched, form shifting wildly, burbling their own excitement. Eddie reached his arm back down to the bed, and Sleeper easily slid down onto it, watching with bright red eyes as their parents merged. 

 

Now truly Venom, they grinned at their child.  **“No sensory input-save for sound-until the clock has ticked twenty times, remember.”** Sleeper burbled their understanding, then sank into the bed, forming a sprawl of still tendrils, eyes hidden. 

 

Satisfied with this, Venom turned to consider the room. Their choice was easy-empty corner of the ceiling, above the door. It was obviously empty, and should be middling difficulty for their child to work out. They clung to the wall and climbed there in a few quick movements, settling back and camouflaging themself. 

 

The clock ticked down, and they watched Sleeper stir and move around on the bed. The child paused, considering, and then something  _ twanged _ in the back of their mind, like a taut cord being plucked, and Sleeper immediately rolled up the wall and to them, burbling proudly to themself. 

 

They’d used their bond as parent and child to find them. Clever, and a bit touching, but not the intended method. They couldn’t help the curl of fondness that rose through their shared consciousness, though. They dropped their cloaking and spoke. 

 

**“...Sweetheart, this isn’t how we meant for you to find us.”**

 

Amusement rolled through their voice, and the child burbled in confusion. The small symbiote paused, and then they felt their headspace shift as their dear offspring fine-tuned chemicals to speak directly to them. Their voice was small and shrill, like a preschooler who was rather offended about the day’s snack selection.

 

_ ‘Why? Found you!’ _

 

**‘Dear, you used our familial bond. This is meant to train your senses, and your control of them. Not your link to us.’**

 

The gentle chastising worked Sleeper up again. They prickled against the wall, a flood of outrage hitting their parents through their temporary mental link. 

 

_ ‘But found!! Not FAIR!!!’ _

 

Venom chuckled, reaching out to cuddle Sleeper again.  **‘You did, and we are proud of you. Let’s see if you can find us without using our connection, though, hm?’**

 

Immediately Sleeper quieted, tantrum avoided with their parents’ soft words and touch. 

 

_ ‘’Kay.’ _

 

And with that, their temporary link was cut, the child scooting back along the wall and to the bed. Venom dropped to the floor, approaching the bed as well. 

 

**“Same rules as before, with the addition of ‘No Using Our Bond To Cheat.’ Are you ready, Sleeper?”**

 

Sleeper burbled, mass roiling across the bed. 

 

**“Alright. Twenty ticks, remember.”**

 

They turned their back on Sleeper, knowing they would be good, and went over their options. What wouldn’t they expect..?

 

Oh. They wouldn’t expect them to use the same spot twice. 

 

They ducked back behind the armchair, camouflaging. From here they couldn’t see the bed, but they could listen. They heard Sleeper burble when time was up, and listened to their quiet monologue of noises as they climbed the opposite wall, checked under the desk, pulled themself onto the couch, and finally oozed up the side of the armchair. 

 

They perched there for a moment, thinking, before they perked and small eyes formed facing Venom. They gurgled excitedly, bouncing in place, and Venom grinned as they became visible again. 

 

**“Good job, sweetheart! We’re very proud of you.”**

 

Sleeper preened, visibly pleased as punch over their success. The parents separated again, Eddie dropping to his feet gently and his symbiote forming a head on a tendril. They beamed at Sleeper together, and he bounced more. 

 

“You’re learning pretty quickly, aren’t you? I guess our quality time with you  _ is  _ helping.”

 

Sleeper jumped onto Eddie’s stomach, pulling himself up to his father’s shoulder and sitting there like a small, gooey parrot.

 

**“Tomorrow, we will work on speech. You have much left to learn about that, don’t you?”**

 

Sleeper burbled inquisitively, and Eddie reached up to scritch them under the chin. “For now, though, I think it’s dinnertime. What do you think, kiddo?”

 

Excited squeaks left the tiny, green symbiote. His parents laughed together, happiness flowing through their bond like warm, viscous honey. Eddie took a moment to reminisce, to think about how long the journey to this moment had been, and his symbiote husband hummed quietly.

 

_ It was worth it. _

 

**“We agree. Come, let’s go see what Doctor Steve has for you tonight.”**


End file.
